Boating Emergencies and the Coast Guard

Most boating emergencies in Florida start small: a dead engine, a building storm, a passenger who slips over the side. This page covers how to call for help, how to handle the most common emergencies, what the Coast Guard and its Auxiliary do, and the reporting duties Florida law places on operators.

Calling for help

VHF channel 16 and the mayday call

A VHF marine radio is the most important piece of communication gear on a Florida boat. Unless you know you are out of range of shore and other vessels, the Coast Guard advises calling on channel 16 first. Its radio guidance for boaters (opens in a new tab) gives this order for a mayday call:

1. "MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY."
2. "THIS IS" followed by your boat name three times, then your call sign or registration number once.
3. "MAYDAY" and the boat name once more.
4. Your position: latitude and longitude, or a bearing and distance from a well-known landmark such as a channel marker or island.
5. The nature of the distress (sinking, fire, medical) and the help you need.
6. The number of people on board and anyone injured.
7. A short description of the boat: length, type, hull and cabin colors.
8. "OVER." Then listen, and repeat at intervals until someone answers.

Mayday is for grave and imminent danger. For urgent problems that are not life-threatening, mariners use "Pan-Pan"; "Securité" is for safety messages such as a navigation hazard. If you hear a distress call that no one answers, the Coast Guard says you must answer it.

DSC and your MMSI

Modern VHF radios have digital selective calling (DSC). Pressing the distress button sends an automatic alert to the Coast Guard and nearby DSC-equipped vessels, but it includes your position only if the radio has GPS built in or connected. The Coast Guard strongly urges boaters to connect GPS to a DSC radio. After sending the alert, follow up by voice on channel 16.

DSC also needs a nine-digit Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) programmed into the radio so rescuers can see who you are. Boaters who stay in U.S. waters can get one from an approved registering organization; boats that travel internationally, including to the Bahamas, need an FCC ship station license, which includes the MMSI. Details are on the Coast Guard's MMSI page (opens in a new tab).

If you trigger a DSC alert by accident, cancel it through the radio's menu before powering off, then announce the cancellation on channel 16.

Cell phones and 911

A phone in a waterproof case is useful near shore, and 911 reaches local responders. But the Coast Guard does not endorse cell phones as a primary distress tool: offshore coverage is limited, callers are hard to locate, and nearby boats cannot hear the call.

Common emergencies and what to do

Person overboard

Shout "man overboard," point at the person and keep pointing. Throw a throwable flotation device right away. Turn the boat back carefully and approach from downwind, with the engine in neutral or off as you reach them, so the propeller never comes near the person. Some man-overboard devices can also send a DSC alert with position.

Fire

Shut off the engine and fuel supply, put everyone in life jackets, and aim the extinguisher at the base of the flames. If you cannot control the fire, call mayday and prepare to leave the boat. See Required Safety Equipment for extinguisher rules.

Taking on water

Find the source: a missing drain plug, a failed hose or fitting, or hull damage. Run the bilge pump, bail, and plug the leak with whatever you have. Put on life jackets and call early, before water reaches the batteries and the radio dies.

Capsizing or swamping

Stay with the boat. Most small boats keep floating even when swamped or upside down, and a hull is much easier for searchers to spot than a head in the water. Count heads, make sure everyone has a life jacket on, and climb onto the hull if you can.

Running aground

Florida's flats, bars and inlets catch many boaters. Stop the engine and check for leaks and injuries. Shift weight away from the grounded point, wait for a rising tide if you can, and avoid powering off a seagrass bank, which scars the bottom and can break Florida's seagrass protections. See Environmental Rules.

Medical emergency

Heat illness, cuts, fish-hook injuries and falls are common. Carry a first-aid kit, drinking water and sun protection. For anything serious, call on channel 16 (or 911 near shore), describe the injury and your position, and agree on where to meet responders, often the nearest ramp or marina with road access.

Engine failure

Anchor if you are drifting toward rocks, a channel or shore. Check fuel, the cutoff switch and the battery. If you cannot fix it, call a tow service or ask for help on channel 16. A breakdown is not a mayday unless lives are at risk.

Overdue or lost

A float plan gives searchers a head start. The Coast Guard recommends leaving one with a reliable person for every type of boat, from kayaks to large cruisers: who is aboard, the boat's description, your route and when you expect to return. Its float plan page (opens in a new tab) has a fillable form and suggests including a recent photo of the boat.

What the Coast Guard and the Auxiliary do

The U.S. Coast Guard coordinates maritime search and rescue in Florida waters and listens on channel 16. FWC officers, sheriff marine units and fire-rescue boats also respond, so the first boat to reach you may come from any of them.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the volunteer arm of the Coast Guard. Its members teach public boating safety courses and offer Vessel Safety Checks, a courtesy review of your equipment that is not a law enforcement boarding. Courses are also offered by other volunteer groups and by state agencies; the Coast Guard keeps a list of course options (opens in a new tab). For Florida's education requirement, see Boater Education.

Accident reporting under Florida law

Help first, then notify

Under s. 327.30, Florida Statutes (opens in a new tab), an operator involved in a collision, accident or other casualty must give practical assistance to others when it can be done without serious danger to their own boat and people. You must also give your name, address and vessel identification in writing to anyone injured and to the owner of damaged property. If you hit an unattended boat, you must take reasonable steps to find and notify its owner.

You must notify the FWC Division of Law Enforcement, the county sheriff or the municipal police without delay, by the quickest means available, when the accident involves:

• Capsizing, sinking or a collision with another vessel or object
• Injury needing medical treatment beyond immediate first aid
• A death, or a person disappearing from the boat
• Damage to vessels or other property of at least $2,000

Written report

Section 327.301 (opens in a new tab) requires a written accident report to FWC for injury, death, disappearance or at least $2,000 in damage, within the federal time limits in 33 CFR 173.55: within 48 hours when someone dies within 24 hours, needs treatment beyond first aid or disappears, and within 10 days otherwise. You do not need to file one if the investigating officer files a written report. If the boat was rented or chartered, the rental or charter business is responsible for the report. Failing to file is a noncriminal infraction.

For the rest of Florida's operating rules, see Florida Boating Regulations.

Frequently asked questions

Should I call 911 or use the VHF radio in a boating emergency?

Use VHF channel 16 first when you can. The Coast Guard warns that cell phones have limited offshore coverage, are hard to locate and keep nearby boats from hearing your call. A phone is a useful backup, not a replacement.

What happens if I press the DSC distress button by mistake?

Cancel the alert from the radio's menu before turning it off, then announce the cancellation on channel 16 with your MMSI and boat name. The Coast Guard says you will not get into trouble if you cancel immediately.

Do I have to report a boating accident in Florida?

Yes, in many cases. You must notify FWC, the sheriff or local police without delay after a capsizing, collision, sinking, serious injury, death, missing person or damage of at least $2,000, and a written report may also be required.

Can I call mayday for a radio check?

No. The Coast Guard treats false mayday calls, including mayday radio checks, as hoaxes that can be prosecuted. Ask for a radio check on a working channel or use a DSC test call.

Official sources

1. U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center — Radio Information for Boaters (opens in a new tab)
2. U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center — DSC Distress (opens in a new tab)
3. U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center — Digital Selective Calling (opens in a new tab)
4. U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center — Maritime Mobile Service Identity (opens in a new tab)
5. U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center — Maritime Telecommunications (cell phone limitations) (opens in a new tab)
6. U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety — Float Plan (opens in a new tab)
7. U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety — Accident Reporting (opens in a new tab)
8. U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety — Boating Safety Courses (opens in a new tab)
9. Florida Statutes, s. 327.30 — Collisions, accidents, and casualties (opens in a new tab)
10. Florida Statutes, s. 327.301 — Written reports of accidents (opens in a new tab)
11. 33 CFR 173.55 — Report of casualty or accident (opens in a new tab)

Checked against these sources on October 2, 2026. Rules change — confirm current requirements with the official source before you rely on them.